dreamincubatorfandomcom-20200213-history
Dream Tropes Wiki/Otaku O'Clock
Anime aired from around 11 p.m. until the wee hours of the morning, occasionally indicated by the odd-looking "22:00-27:00" notation. They are almost universally watched by an older male audience, and often mocked by any shows aired earlier. This is common in Japan for several reasons, even if it seems like a weird time to broadcast a show that's trying to make money. * These shows tend to have a strong (if unusual) Merchandise-Driven bent, which allows them to pay for themselves; this means that production companies can buy these timeslots directly from the networks and sponsor their own shows. The fan base tends to be small, but dedicated, so it's usually worthwhile to do this. * Most TV in Japan is provided by the six free-to-air broadcast networks, or independent broadcast stations which are members of the JAITS (which, like many other large Japanese corporations, are practically government). If it's not on one of those networks, it's not likely to succeed, and because the landscape is so competitive, very few shows can draw the ratings needed to stay in prime time or on an after-school timeslot. Shows aired on cable or satellite channels account for only 10% of overall anime viewership in Japan. * Content concerns are a big deal, as in most other countries. Otaku O'Clock shows tend to be on the more violent or sexual side in terms of content. Such shows have been aired in prime time before, but not to universal acclaim; in particular, there was large public outcry in 1995 when Neon Genesis Evangelion aired in the dinner hour. In spite of the post-Watershed timing, though, many of these shows will still be censored or otherwise poorly executed, at least partly to convince the otaku to buy the DVD/Blu-Ray. * And in this era of DVR technology, it doesn't really matter when you air the program anyway; the fans will record it or stream it. Where the show isn't aired, fansubs will provide the show. The trope name refers to the odd way of noting when the shows start airing; it's common to see a show aired at 1:00 am listed at "25:00". This is largely done to align the schedule with that of the previous day; many Japanese TV networks still sign off in the middle of the night, and those who don't will only switch to "the next day"'s programming at 4 am or so. See also Watershed, Safe Harbor. Examples Japan * In it's native Japan, Katie Jane, despite being pure shōjo, was on at 25:05 on Tokyo MX and 25:10 on Television Kanagawa. In contrast in the United States, it's E/I English dub was aired in the morning alongside shows such as Between the Lions and Clifford the Big Red Dog. * Some Japanese reality shows have gone with this to attract viewers: ** Top Gear Japan, in it's first season, went out at 24:01 on Tokyo MX, 24:07 on Television Kanagawa, and 24:11 at Sun Television and so on and so forth. ** Japan is Looking for a Superstar currently goes out at 23:00 on Tokyo MX and 23:05 at Television Kanagawa. * Her Majesty's Dog first aired at 25:30 on Fuji TV. Category:Tropes